No One's Laughing
by Shoujiko-remains
Summary: The Royal Family is becoming increasingly cruel to the peasants of the kingdom, and things are becoming worse and worse. The King and Queen of the land rule with violence and threats, or so the citizens think. In truth, the Twin Princes are in hiding from their foreign uncle, and only they can take back what is rightfully theirs. UsUk, PruCan. Kingdom AU
1. Chapter 1

The cloaked figure stepped swiftly from shadow to shadow, watching the spectacle in the square intently. He ducked behind a barrel to view from some kind of hiding spot. A small blonde boy with large blue eyes was being dragged away, kicking and screaming, by two burly castle guards wearing cruel expressions to match the spikes on their shoulder armour. The boy had tears streaming down his face and his white and blue shirt was in tatters from his struggle. A sign was taped to a carriage nearby, depicting the boys face drawn in an almost cruel way, captioned by the words, 'Attempted espionage. Sentenced to severe punishment by law of the King.'

Screams were coming from the surrounding crowd; some of fear, some of outrage, and some from the other children, trying to stick up for their young comrade, no doubt. The guards kicked the children harshly, stopping their yells and even causing some to cough up blood. Two men stood in the crowd, pushing their way to the front, the shorter one with violet-brown eyes sobbing hysterically while the taller one, wearing bent glasses, tried to clear a path through the throng of people.

"Peter! Peter! Give me back Peter!" the shorter one cried, choking up at the end and clutching to the taller one in despair. The two guards just laughed and threw the boy into a small cage in the centre of the square, lifting it onto their shoulders and toting it away to the carriage awaiting them. The cloaked figure darted after, keeping hidden and silent so as not to alert even the local sneaks and thieves of his presence.

After the first few miles, the poster had fluttered off the side of the horse-drawn carriage. The figure picked it up and examined it, staring at the face in the middle. It depicted the boy, Peter, with a mischievous smile and an evil glint in his eye, topped by those startlingly thick eyebrows. Knowing the boy from quite a few village gatherings, he knew that the child wasn't able to, and most likely never will be able to, make such a bloody horrible face. And espionage? Peter was just a young boy raised by humble parents, not a trained spy!

The figure tucked the poster into his cloak, returning to the shadows to resume stalking his prey.

* * *

Peter huddled inside the cage, shivering uncontrollably and wishing that the big guards wouldn't kill him. His young mind wandered through the faces of the people he knew he would probably never see again. Mommy and Daddy, The girl across the street Lili, his best friend Raivis… He would most likely be dead before they saw his face again. Or he, theirs. It broke his heart to have to admit that.

A large bump in the road jarred him back to reality as the carriage shook and continued on, one of the wheels now slightly wobbling. He sniffled a bit but held back the tears that threatened to spill onto his cheeks, the effort burning his eyes. After a while he was exhausted by trying to be brave, especially since no one was even there to appreciate his hard work. So he fell asleep.

It was only until the rolling of the carriage stopped that he fully awoke, a bright light shining in his face and the ugly sight of one of the guard's noses up close scarring him forever.

"Come on, boy! We're gonna take you home now!" he snarled, a twisted smile marring his features. Peter shook his head and tried to back further into the corner of the cage, but to no avail. The guard laughed and hefted the metal mesh contraption onto his shoulder, carrying the poor boy into a dimly-lit corridor lined with jail cells. Peter shivered.

What had he done to deserve this?

* * *

"Bring in the court magician!" he called, a scowl forming on his face. He didn't usually scowl, or even frown, for that matter, but he was in a terrible mood. He fixed his scarf around his broad shoulders and smiled (albeit strained) at the servant standing next to him. Toris, he thought. "I said bring me the court magician, da?"

The servant nodded his head in fear, his brown hair swishing around as he rushed to call for the magician who was being held in a small adjoining room with the rest of the entertainers. His green eyes widened as he poked his head through the door and saw no magician, just the jester and the lute-player.

"H- hey, do either of you know where Vladimir is?" Toris stuttered, glancing at the two in turn.

"No, he just left a few seconds ago." Roderich replied, plucking at a string on his lute idly and not even pausing to look up.

"Nah, zhe awesome me has not seen him since the last time I saw him!" Gilbert added very helpfully, grinning at his bad attempt at humor. Toris sighed and stepped out of the room, trembling slightly at the thought of telling the man at the head of the table that the magician wasn't there.

Then he heard a laugh from the ceiling and he whipped his head around just in time to see Vladimir swoop down like a giant bat, his unusually sharp teeth glinting in the weak lighting of the dining hall. He landed right in front of Ivan, bowing deeply and still smiling like an idiot. Toris mentally face-palmed.

Ivan smiled widely. "Hello there, Mr. Magician!" he greeted him, his large hands outspread in a welcoming gesture that caused the bystanding service staff to shiver. And yet Vladimir just stood there, unfazed by the huge man's devil smile. Or maybe he was just too stupid to read the mood.

"Well, you all look like you could use some cheering up!" he declared, gesturing to Gilbert, who was peeking out from the other room. The albino grinned and bounded to his partner-in-crime's side, his red eyes glinting in anticipation of their up-and-coming stunt.

On the other side of the dining hall, a woman with long brown hair shook her head and sighed quietly.

'I wish the real royal family would come back to the castle...' she thought, preparing herself for another night of torture disguised as entertainment.

* * *

Prince Alfred frowned, his head resting in his hands like it usually did when he was bored. "Hey, Mattie, do you know what we should do?"

"Wh- what?" his brother replied quickly, standing from his perch on the cot, startled that his brother had noticed him in the same room.

"We should retake the throne."

"B- but, Braginski…"

"So what?" the overconfident blonde huffed, his cheeks puffed up childishly. "That overgrown, foreign jerk can go jump off a cliff for all I care! I mean, how hard could it be to take back what's rightfully mine? Er, ours. Anyway, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, right, Bro?"

"S- sure, Alfred." Matthew replied quietly, sitting back down. A knock at the door sounded, alerting the two brothers of someone else's presence. Alfred peered through the doorframe and caught sight of a long black cloak, covering equally as dark lace-up boots.

"Oh, it's just our informant!" he crowed, swinging the door open wide and allowing the man to come inside, along with some rain and wind. Matthew shivered and stood again, offering the man his seat. The figure shook his head and pulled off his hood, revealing short blonde hair and electrified green eyes.

"So, Artie, what's the news?"


	2. Chapter 2

Gilbert stretched and grinned in the moonlight, free from the restraining walls of the castle. His silvery-white hair gleamed as if from magic, but he knew that wasn't the case. It was just an awesome gene mutation.

He reclined on a stone bench, surrounded by overgrown rose bushes and ivy. So many had forgotten about the existence of the old Queen's Garden; it had once been a bright, lively, beautiful place, but now it was the darkest area in the gardens, tangled and secluded. And that was just how Gilbert liked it. He was glad it wasn't raining, since that would be totally unawesome, and the rain would ruin his mood.

His partner-in-crime, Vladimir, was nowhere to be seen, but that was also a small relief, since being around him was mentally exhausting. Being physically exhausted was too unawesome. Nothing good came out of it. The albino stared up at the moon that reflected in his red eyes, wondering what it was like to live up there.

A grin popped out. What strange thoughts for someone like him to be thinking. He was fine wherever he happened to be, because wherever he went automatically became awesome! A twig snapped behind him, and Gilbert turned at the sound, curious as to who it was, but he didn't see anyone.

"Who's zhere?" he shouted, still smiling. This didn't scare him, not in the least. He just thought it was odd for someone other than himself to be out here, especially this late. "Hallo?"

A whisper leaked out of the ivy-strewn hedge, a sinister voice that sent chills down the jester's back, an icy voice that penetrated the warmth created by the enclosed garden.

"_We need to kill him."_

* * *

"Another child was arrested, sir." the blonde man was shorter than the prince, but was older than him by at least two years. He saluted to both Matthew and Alfred, his gaze serious and unwavering.

"Another one? For what? Oh, and you can drop the 'sir'."

"Attempted espionage, sir." the informant replied, raising an impressive eyebrow at the suggestion to 'drop the sir' and smirking.

"H- how old was the child?" Matthew asked hesitantly, raising his hand.

"Twelve years old, sir, and the son of Berwald and Tino." he answered, stretching and cracking his back. "That sneaking around really takes it out of a person." he added offhandedly, glancing at Alfred and smiling. "You should try it sometime, your Highness, instead of being so loud."

Alfred snorted and flopped on the cot next to Matthew. "That's why I have Mattie."

Matthew just sighed and stood, looking at the other, shorter blonde and smiling politely. "I'm sorry about him, Arthur."

"No need to be, sir. I'm totally used to it." Arthur responded, glaring down playfully at the messy-haired prince who was currently asleep. "Look, he's fallen asleep. With company, too." sighing, the older man put the threadbare blanket over his prince and bowed to the other, exiting the tiny cabin and stepping into the rain that had just recently started.

* * *

Elizaveta dunked the hundred-and-thirty-second plate into the soapy water, scrubbing it roughly and pretending that it was Gilbert's face. Or Master Braginski's, but he was only second on the I-Wish-This-Was-His-Face list. Other servants had started giving her weird stares, but she didn't care. She had to get her anger out, or else she might explode. She heard quiet footsteps approaching, and she turned, knowing full well who it was.

"Good evening, Roderich!" she smiled, hoping it looked real. She was glad to see him, yes, it was just that she wasn't happy about anything else. At all.

"Good evening, Elizaveta," he smiled gently, "Do you need some help?"

She nodded eagerly and stepped aside, allowing him access to the rest of the one-hundred-forty-six plates. She was quite content with him by her side, but she was still angry about the mess Gilbert and that weird Vladimir had made.

"Oh, where's your lute?" Elizaveta finally asked, noticing he didn't have it like he usually did.

"Master Braginski wanted to see it, so I let him, and he never gave it back. It's been an hour." the brunette sighed heavily, his violet eyes downcast and annoyed. Elizaveta would have patted his shoulder, but her hands were wet and soapy, and she didn't want to ruin his nice outfit.

"I see. I'm sorry." she finally said, unsure of what else she could say. She felt a tap on the shoulder and turned to see yet another servant, Kiku, holding a stack of bowls.

"Master Wang wants you to wash these." he said politely, sympathy shining in his eyes. Wang Yao was the head servant, still below even the youngest of knights, but above us all who worked in the kitchens and elsewhere in the castle. He was a nice enough person, yes, but they all worked hard enough already without him piling extra chores and jobs to do on them.

Elizaveta nodded without a word and took the dishes from Kiku. He bowed and scurried away, probably to find Ludwig and Feliciano, who helped him in the laundry room. She looked down at the bowls, then up at Roderich, and he just nodded. They needed to get everything done, before Master Wang or Master Braginski came.

* * *

"Another round, bartender!" Francis called, laughing lightly without a hint of drunkenness in his voice. Antonio laughed along with him, also completely sober and with no idea what they were laughing about. He glanced over at the hooded figure in the back of the tavern, hoping against hope that it wasn't a castle spy and that they weren't acting suspicious at all. He knew Francis had seen the figure, and he was hoping that he was acting like this so the cloaked person would think everything was okay, and that they were just two drunks having a good time.

"Music!" Antonio roared, and a rousing cheer came from the other patrons in the room. The young man in the far left corner glared from under his light blonde fringe, but started a lively tune on his fiddle nonetheless. Francis smiled and winked at Antonio, mouthing the words 'good move' and taking a drink from his glass of strong wine. Where the bartender had gotten the wine, Antonio had no idea. Wine was expensive these days, and there was a new prohibition on strong alcoholic drinks except for some foreign brew called vodka. Antonio just shrugged and decided to drop the subject after a long while thinking about it.

There were a few women dancing in the middle of the tavern, their skirts all awhirl and their hair untied. Antonio laughed and clapped his hands to the beat of the violin, glancing over at Francis and Lovino, a servant who he snuck out of the castle whenever he wanted to go drinking. Said servant was glaring at the crowd of people and folding his arms over his chest, unhappy to have been dragged along again. Antonio walked over and nudged his arm, jerking his head to point out the dark figure in the back. The dark brunette rolled his eyes and nodded, as if it was obvious he had noticed them, but didn't give a donkey's rear end.

Antonio beamed and walked back to his seat next to Francis, knowing that Lovino was capable of acting for himself. If he felt the need, he could pretend to be drunk, but now didn't seem to strike him as dangerous. He trusted Lovi's judgement.

* * *

A knock sounded at the door of the humble abode that Tino called home. It was a friendly-sounding knock, the knock of an innocent child, but the shorter man was afraid to open the door. He had been happy, he had been welcoming, and look at what happened. Peter had been taken away from him by those horrible castle guards. It had broken Tino's heart to watch his little boy be taken by those brutes.

"Berwald, someone's at the door." Tino called as quietly as he could, alerting the other man, but not the person outside the door.

"I'll g't it." Berwald responded quietly, walking in from the other room and stepping up to the door, hesitantly placing a hand on the knob. Tino held his breath as the door swung open, only to reveal Peter's friend Lili. She was clutching his small white puppy, Hanatamago, and her purple ribbon was untied and hanging loosely in her hair.

"Excuse me… I'm not supposed to be here, my big brother will get mad at me, but I found Peter's puppy. Is- Is he here?" she said quietly and all in a rush. Tino stood up and walked over, kneeling down and placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Peter was… he was arrested." he finally whispered after a long pause. The girl looked startled, then tears filled her eyes.

She started sobbing, crying along with Tino as he embraced her, trying to a provide at least a little comfort, to both himself and the little girl.

**A/N: Hey guys! So, yeah, another Hetalia story. And already the second chapter, wow! Not really, since it doesn't make any sense. Sorry. Anyway, review! Oh, and if anyone knows The Principality of Wy's human name, could you tell me? Many thanks, bye for now!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Mama… I wish you were here, Mama… I wish you could sing me that lullaby you used to hum when I was younger…"

Peter had gone beyond just thinking. He needed to hear someone's voice, even if it was just his own, even if it reminded him of how alone he was right then. It was the only reassurance he had that he still worked.

"I want Papa, too. Papa would know what to do, he always knows what to do…" the sound echoed off the walls of the miniscule cell he was being held in and reverberated through his head, making him dizzy. He wanted something to drink badly, and his stomach had long gone numb from emptiness and hunger. His ears picked up the sound of heavy footsteps, and the boisterous voices of the prison guards. Another sound was there too, the sound of a young girl's protests.

"Put me down, you big brutes! I'll kill you! I'll hit you and then burn you beyond recognition! Put me down, I didn't do anything!"

Peter wondered who the energetic new arrival was, and if they could be friends. The footsteps came closer, as did her loud yells, the suddenly stopped right next to Peter's cell. He then heard a heavy thud, the guards leaving, and silence. He listened closely at the wall, waiting for the other to make the first move. He wasn't disappointed.

"I- is anyone there?"

Her voice was scared; frightened. It didn't matter how mean she had sounded to the guards, in the end, she was just a child like Peter himself.

"Hi. What's you're name?" Peter replied, hoping she could hear his worn-out voice from her cell.

"I'm Paulette. Who are you?" there was still a quaver in her voice, but he decided to ignore it, treating her like a new kid in town.

"My name's Peter. What are you here for?"

"Attempted theft."

The answer surprised Peter. Espionage was easy to pin on someone, but theft? What did they have to use against her?

"What did they say you were trying to steal?"

"Oh, they weren't just saying it. I did try to steal it. And it was a sheep, by the way."

There was a hint of pride in those words, and Peter couldn't believe it. Someone his age was actually a thief? Even more surprising, the royal guards had arrested someone for something they actually did! He shook his head, confused. He decided to not dwell on the subject and keep talking.

"Why did you want to steal it?" he asked, running a hand through his messy blonde hair, his blue eyes wide.

"To get back at Oz for being a stuck-up twat." she replied, anger evident in her voice this time. Her moods sure changed a lot when she was talking. Peter vaguely wondered who this 'Oz' person was. "He has no right to park his sheep on my front lawn, even if he claims it's not a sheep, but his best friend! Best friend, my foot! That was obviously a very fluffy animal!"

She continued talking, seeming to forget who she was talking to. Somehow, she got onto the topic of some flirt in her town, and how she would slug him the next time they met, if she ever got out of 'this freaking jailhouse'. Peter stopped listening after that.

At least he had someone to talk to now.

* * *

Gilbert froze, the voice having taken out all obnoxious comments he had been about to say from his mind.

"_We need to kill him."_

Were they talking about him, or someone else? He tried to back away from the garden as quietly as he could, dodging the hedges and the underlying growth, reaching the entrance and backing out, almost safe, but then he stepped on a section of ivy at the last moment. Dry, stiff, very loud ivy.

He heard the swish of a cape in the bushes, but didn't pause to see who it was. He turned tail and ran, enough soldier instinct left in him that he knew when to retreat.

Yes, before he was a jester and Vladimir's sidekick, he was a soldier for this fair country, that wasn't quite as fair as old times these days. It's why he had been kicked out of the corps; because he disobeyed orders that he thought were unjust and cruel. He had narrowly escaped being executed because of his close ties with several of the castle staff, and the young prince had begged for him to be let go. Gilbert still didn't know why, since he didn't even know the guy.

His ears picked up the sound of light footfalls behind him, and knew his pursuer was gaining on him. The albino picked up speed and continued racing through the gardens, then down the hill leading to the back of the main castle. He swerved around the servants' quarters, just in case, but it only seemed to make the person chasing him angrier.

As he made a last-minute desperate dash for the door to the servants entrance, a pair of small, but surprisingly strong hands gripped his shoulders, pulling him back into the bushes.

Gilbert growled underneath his breath and attempted to wiggle out of his captor's grasp. "Unhand zhe Awesome Me now! I demand you!"

"Oh, you demand me, do you? Useless jokester, that's all you are..." a soft voice said, melting into echoes, before the dagger seemed to come flying from the darkness and embedded itself in Gilbert's heart.

* * *

"Master Braginski, The servants are done cleaning the dinnerware. Are they free to retire for the night?"

The short, brown-eyed man looked up from his parchment and smiled hopefully, knowing full well that his men were exhausted. He wanted to be free from Braginski's rule just as much as they did.

"Da, I suppose." the foreigner replied, turning to flash a chilling smile at the other. "Are there any who need to be punished today?"

"No, sir."

"There's a tremble in your voice. Are you lying to me, Yao?"

"No sir." the brunette replied, his hands slightly shaking in his sleeves, but his face remaining impassive.

"Aw, then you're scared? Of me?"

Before he could respond, Ivan had walked out of the room, leaving only a slight breeze from his long coattails. Wang Yao watched his retreating back and sighed, quickly stepping downstairs to dismiss the servants.

* * *

"Bloody git, why isn't he more serious? This is his country we're talking about! Ah, I can't stand him! At least his brother is more responsible than he is."

His cloak flowed behind him as he stormed down the street, returning to the tavern he frequented. Maybe after a few drinks, he could go save some children or something. He didn't particularly care for children, it was the kingdom he was worried about, but more and more kids were being arrested, just to strike fear in the parents' hearts.

He opened the door and looked up, only for his eyes to land on that bloody frog, Francis, and his friend Anthony or whatever. He decided not to have a drink after all. He was a little more calm walking down the side street, refusing to mull over the Prince's stupidity and deciding instead to check on that little boy, Peter. Maybe a visit to his parents first, though.

He quietly walked up to the front doorstep of the Oxenstierna-Väinämöinen home, running a hand through his blonde hair and only succeeding in messing it up even more, and knocked, deciding not to bother them if they didn't answer.

A few seconds passed, before Arthur heard the quiet voice of Tino. "Berwald, is it Lili again?"

The sound of footsteps followed, and the door was opened a crack, revealing Berwald's spectacled eyes and a deep frown, completing the intimidating look he already had because of his height.

"Good afternoon, Berwald, can I come in?"

The man nodded and turned to call to Tino. "Arth'r!"

"Oh! Is he coming in?"

"Y's." he led the shorter one into the house, closing the door quietly and escorting him into the makeshift kitchen.

"Hello Arthur, it's good to see you!" Tino chirped, but Arthur could see the bags under his red-stained eyes and knew his cheerfulness was, for the moment, false. "What brings you here to our humble abode?"

"Hello Tino, I'm here concerning Peter."

The small man froze and frowned, his eyes sliding down to stare at the ground. "What about him?"

"Do you want him back?"

* * *

Antonio yawned and laid across Francis's lap, looking up into the blue eyes of his companion. "How late is it?"

Lovino sighed and kicked the older man, making him sit back up. "The moon's going down, idiot."

Francis laughed his strange, bright laugh and ruffled Antonio's hair. "Why? You want to go home?" he asked, standing up and stretching. Antonio did the same, his muscles straining against his beige shirt. Lovino blushed, and Francis smiled, hugging the other. "You are so beautiful."

"Francis, you drunk?"

"Non."

Lovino glared at the two, watching their endless flirting with bare tolerance. Why did Antonio even bring him along, if he was just going to converse with the annoying blonde and ignore him completely? He shook his head and started to walk back in the direction of the castle, looking forward to the quiet and peace of the servant's quarters.

"Lovi, where're you going?" he heard Antonio call.

"Home." the brunette called back, eyebrows furrowed in an obvious 'stop talking to me and don't follow me' look. As he disappeared over the hill, Antonio sighed sadly and looked up at the other.

"Francis, what am I going to do? I like him so much… But he hates me."

"He does not hate you! He's just very… moody." Francis said, flipping his hair and staring at the slowly setting moon.

"Really? How do you know?"

"Can you not see the way he looks at you?"

"No…"

The blonde laughed and kissed the other's cheek. "Don't worry, you'll see soon enough."

Antonio certainly hoped so, but in a kingdom like this, he didn't know if love such as his was even legal.

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait and the bad chapter! It'll be a while until I update again, since I'm on a road trip right now and using my Grandmother's old laptop. Anyway, Paulette is the Principality of Wy. I heard her name was Wendy, but I saw her called Paulette even more often than Wendy, so I used that. Yeah. So, a question: Who wants SpaMano, and who wants SpRance? Please review, thanks, bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

Gilbert gasped as the pain flooded through his body, and the shadowed figure stood and ran off in the direction of the main gate. His vision was going blurry, and he could taste the sickly metallic taste of blood running over his tongue. Who had they been? Why would they do this? And a useless jokester was not all he was! He had once been a great soldier… who fought for his country bravely and defended the people, someone who had gone down because he had stood up for what he believed was right…

But what did that matter now? He was dead, he knew it. There was no way out of this situation.

* * *

"W- what do you mean?" Tino asked, Berwald wrapping an arm around the smaller man's shoulder comfortingly, almost protectively.

"I mean that I can get your son back for you."

"But, that would be… how is that possible? The castle dungeons are heavily guarded."

"I have connections. So, do you want me to get him out?" Arthur asked, growing tired of the repeated question.

"Y- yes! Of course! Please, I want my son back…" A tear rolled down Tino's cheek, making Berwald hug him tighter. Tino hugged back, burying his face in the large chest of his partner. He was weaker than Arthur remembered him from his soldier days, but he supposed that's what a quiet village life did to you. Reminding himself again never to fall into that particular routine, he smiled at his old friend and nodded.

"It's settled, then. You'll have Peter back by the end of a fortnight."

* * *

Paulette paused for breath and smiled at the wall, where she thought Peter might be. She knew she was talking far too much- he probably knew way more than he wanted, but she couldn't stop. She wanted to feel at home, so she wouldn't be scared, and so he, in turn, would feel comforted as well. They had been quick friends, and she was already feeling a little better. She didn't have a home to return to anyway, so right here was just fine.

He probably felt differently.

"Paulette? Are you done talking?" Peter called from the other side of the wall. He didn't sound relieved or disappointed, it was just an honest question. Paulette almost laughed.

"Yeah, I'm done. Thanks for listening."

Now he was the one who laughed, but it was quiet and uncertain. "No problem."

Silence ensued, but it didn't last for long. Both heard the loud footsteps of a guard pounding down the stone stairs leading to the dungeons, and both shrank back into the corners of their cells. The raucous jingle of keys sounded, and then the lock on Paulette's cell was opened, and the door swung wide.

"Little girl, someone's here to see you." he announced, his voice not deep and rough like the other guards. Peter didn't know who it could be, but he heard a gasp escape Paulette's lips.

"Marcello? What are you doing here?"

Peter wondered who Marcello was.

"I told you, I prefer Romeo!"

"Shut up, nobody asked you."

Peter just shook his head and decided to not bother himself with caring who this guy was, but what he wanted to do with Paulette.

"Seriously though, why are you here?" he heard the whisper, and wished he could see the two.

"I am here to rescue you!" he proclaimed with a flourish. Paulette rolled her eyes, knowing that Marcello was incapable of doing anything useful besides flirting, which probably didn't count.

"If you don't get caught first. Where did you get the keys and that uniform?"

"My two brothers work here! I asked them to take care of it for me!"

The conversation carried on idly, the two obviously forgetting where they were, until another pair of footsteps came rushing down the stairs and the talking immediately stopped after two grunts of pain and a cruel laugh.

Peter's eyes widened as he realized that they had just been taken by a real guard. He hoped they wouldn't do anything drastic to Paulette, and wished he could do something about it.

* * *

The two sat on the bed, facing each other, eying the cards in the other's lap. He knew his twin would have some kind of red card, and that's what he needed. The Five of Hearts.

"Do you have…" he started, but never finished, as the door burst open and a cloaked figure stepped in. Matthew sighed and supposed correctly that he would never get his Five of Hearts.

"Hello Git, hello Prince Matthew."

"Hello Arthur, why are you here?" Alfred replied to the man's extremely cordial greeting by throwing his hand of cards at him, scattering them everywhere, not a single one touching the green-eyed informat.

"Very mature, Sir."

Alfred just scoffed and stood up, Matthew following suit and offering his place to the older male.

"No thank you, Prince." he bowed and continued to stand as the other two sat back down. "I am here concerning the child recently taken into custody, Peter Oxenstierna- Väinämöinen. I have been assigned to break him out of the castle dungeons."

"By whom?" Matthew asked quietly. Alfred ignored his brother and asked the same exact question.

"The parents of the child. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Arthur." Matthew finally got his say in. Alfred just nodded.

"Yeah, whatever, as long as you get right back to taking the throne from Ivan, and giving it back to me- us."

The other two sighed as Alfred's self-obsessed side showed itself once again. Although Matthew knew no one even recognized his existence besides Arthur and Alfred, he still hoped he would get some kind of recognition from his kingdom. As far as he knew, all his subjects only saw Alfred as the prince, and didn't even know he was right there beside his brother. It hurt him in all kinds of ways, and yet nobody ever noticed. Truth be told, he didn't want to be prince if he was just going to be overshadowed by his own twin.

"Well, I'll be going now. I've got children to rescue. So long, Matthew, Alfred."

These words snapped the quiet blonde out of his thoughts, and he quickly said goodbye to his friend. Alfred just puffed out his chest and smiled as Arthur closed the door. He soon returned to his cards, that were now all over the floor, and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Matthew asked. Alfred rarely frowned, and when he did, it was usually very serious.

"Nothing. I just wish I could tell him."

The other just shook his head, not asking him to elaborate. His brother was impossible to figure out.

* * *

"Roderich!" she screeched, flying down the hallways. "Roderich!"

The brunette turned, his bespectacled eyes wide and confused. "What is it, Elizaveta?"

"Master Yao just fired me!" she sobbed, hugging the other tightly. "This was my only job! How am I supposed to support us now?"

"Us? I can support myself, Elizaveta. I don't recall ever asking you for help."

The woman blushed and nodded a little too quickly. "Of course, of course! My mistake!" she laughed nervously and stepped away from her (not-so-secret) crush. He smiled, uncertain about he was supposed to react, and straightened his back.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck trying to find another job. I would give you my spot, but I have something I'm saving up for as well. I'm sorry."

Elizaveta smiled sadly in return and bowed her head. "I understand, I didn't want to take your place here. Goodbye, Roderich."

As she walked away, the stately servant wondered why that goodbye felt so final.

* * *

Lovino walked through the hallways of the lower floors of the huge castle with his brother, listening to the endless chatter but somewhere else completely. He couldn't get that stupid Antonio out of his head, and it bothered him. Especially the images he had of Antonio and Francis flirting, deep in each other's eyes. He shook his head, and Feliciano looked up.

"Is everything okay, fratello?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Lovino huffed, continuing to walk even after Feliciano had stopped in confusion. He had trays to deliver to the kitchens, then he had to take food down to the guards in the dungeons. He didn't care if his brother was fired because he had slacked off.

He gave the trays to a passing kitchen servant and waited while one was filled with food, then descended the slick stone steps to the dungeon. Even then, his mind was stuck on the bright smile of that infernal Antonio. As he walked down, he passed a guard dragging two limp bodies. Glancing at the unconscious figures, he almost dropped the food as he noticed a wayward curl sticking up, and a bright green shirt that triggered his memory of earlier days, when he still had time to be a kid, when he hadn't been slaving away just to keep himself afloat.

"Fratello Marcello…?"


	5. Chapter 5

Everything looked so two-dimensional and gray. Why did it look like this? Where was he? Gilbert stared up at the night sky, the stars not shining as bright as he remembered. When he brought up his hand, he could see those same stars right through it.

He was dead.

They had killed him.

He shrugged and tried standing, finding the new lightness of his body strange and completely unwelcome. He realized that he was no longer human, but he refused to admit that to anyone, most especially to himself. He sighed and headed toward the castle, the destination he had sought while he had been running from his killer, wondering if anyone would be able to see him.

As soon as he stepped through the wall, he knew nobody would notice him. All the servants in the kitchens bustled past, going about the late-night duties and chatting hurriedly when they caught a few seconds of free time.

"Hey, zhe awesome Me is here!" he tried, smiling like he always had. "I am here to entertain you! Come on, I know you can hear zhe awesome Me!"

Nobody did. Nobody ever would again.

* * *

"Wait! Where are you taking those two, you jerks?" Lovino cried as he watched the guards pull his youngest brother along, his head heavy on his shoulders.

"The girl was trying to escape, and the boy was helping. We're taking them to Master Braginski for punishment. What do you care, servant?"

The big, bulky guard laughed at Lovino's stricken face, continuing with the other to the office. Suddenly, another voice came from behind the brunette.

"Wait! Do you really want to take two lowly children to the Boss? I mean, he's the very top, and these two are hardly even worth the concern. Just throw them back into the cell."

Lovino turned around to see the sparkling olive eyes he knew so well. "Antonio, what the hell-"

The older man smiled down at him and shushed him. "Don't blow my cover, Lovi." he whispered.

"And don't call me that." Lovino growled back, frowning, trying to hide his obvious blush.

The two guards were hesitating now, swayed by Antonio's words, unsure whether or not to follow his counsel. "But they still need to be punished."

"Then give them to me. I can hand them over to Mistress Arlovsky. She won't be bothered, she deals with this stuff all the time."

The brunette guard shrugged and looked over at the other, who nodded. They gave the unconscious bodies to the tanned man and walked away, their boots clanking against their armour.

Lovino turned to Antonio in astonishment. "How did you-"

"I'm just good with words, Lovi! Now come on, help me with your brother and his girlfriend."

Lovino had never heard of Marcello having a girlfriend, but the way he acted, he wasn't very surprised. He knelt beside the boy and slapped him, waking him up effectively.

"Wha- Fratello Lovi? Wow, it's been so long!" Marcello smiled and reached up to hug his brother, wincing when he tried to lift his head. He still smiled, though, and immediately asked if Paulette was okay.

"Paulette?" Lovino asked, looking over at the girl next to Antonio. "Is that your girl's name?"

"Yes!" the younger answered, at the same time a more feminine voice responded, "No!"

The voice belonged to 'Paulette', who was glaring at Marcello. "I am not your girl, Marcello."

"I told you, it is Romeo!"

Lovino sighed. Why had he bothered to wake this guy up?

* * *

Arthur stood rigid against the wall, peering into the sole lit window of the servants quarters. Inside was a darker girl, singing a soft, lilting tune to herself, untying two red ribbons from her hair. She looked too young to already be working as a servant, but Arthur dismissed the thought, sure that she was fine. He crept underneath the window and ran quietly over to the next small cabin, the dark atmosphere alerting him that this was the right place.

Inside were two guards, both with blonde hair and intimidating scowls. One had a silver clip gracing his bangs, holding a single curl away from his face. The other's hair was wild and spiked up, revealing his broad face and shadowed blue eyes. They weren't asleep, but standing together over a chest of drawers, obviously protecting it.

Arthur sighed. Those two looked like formidable opponents, and he had grown rusty over the years. If there was ever a time to fight like no tomorrow, it was now, but he couldn't. He wasn't in that kind of shape anymore. Yes, he was still fairly young, but he had started out as a soldier at fourteen, and war can age you like nothing else.

He snuck around to the door and knocked, standing tall and straight, keeping the hood over his head. The moon felt like a spotlight that he didn't need. He heard movement, a rustling, whispering, until the shorter of the two opened the door.

"Yes?" he asked, staring at the stranger with deep purple eyes.

"I have come to retrieve the key to the dungeon. Master Braginski has asked for it."

"Do you have any form of identification?"

"I am just a servant, Sir, and have been ordered to bring the key to the Master."

He still looked doubtful. "Code word?"

Had there always been a code word? Why hadn't he known it, even with all his connections in the castle?

"I'm afraid I've never heard a code word, Sir." he answered, flipping his hood off and swiftly dodging around the man.

"Matthias!" he called, gesturing to his partner and quickly closing the door behind him. The taller one darted towards the intruder and pinned his arms behind his arms, locking him in place. "Who are you, and what do you want?" he growled. Arthur spotted an armoured axe in the corner and grimaced. Mission failed.

"I can't tell you that, Sir."

"Drop the formalities. We know you're not with the castle staff."

"Fine. I'm with the travelling circus."

The shorter one slapped him. "Answer honestly! If you have a satisfactory reply, we might let you go!"

"Lukas." Matthias warned, looking at the small blonde with soft eyes. They reminded Arthur of how Berwald would look at Tino… something dawned on him suddenly. He might as well take a chance.

"Are you two, by any chance, part of the resistance?"

"What's it to you?" Lukas asked, obviously startled. Arthur grinned. He knew it.

"I'm only here to get the boy who was arrested. Let me go."

Lukas frowned and glanced at Matthias. "Who sent you?"

"Tino Väinämöinen and Berwald Oxenstierna, the parents of the boy, and the princes Alfred and Matthew."

Matthias sighed and let go of Arthur's arm. He unlocked the drawer they had been standing over before and handed Arthur the key. "We'll be watching, just in case. Do you understand?" he warned, his eyes stormy. Arthur nodded and slipped out of the cabin, fully aware of the two pairs of quiet footsteps following him closely from the shadows.

**A/N: I forgot to mention this earlier, I think, but Marcello 'Romeo' Vargas is Seborga. Just so you know. This chapter makes no sense whatsoever, and I think I did a bad job at explaining the whole thing with Lukas and Matthias, but whatever... Review, please!**


	6. Chapter 6

Toris walked through the gardens, carrying a pair of sheers and wondering over Master Braginski's sudden order to clean up the outside yard. It made no sense to him, since there had never been any previous attention to the gardens that had once been so treasured by the Queen. Where that Queen was now, no one knew, and no one wanted to be the one to disobey Braginski's orders and look for her. They didn't even dare tell the townspeople, in fear that someone would leak that they knew, and Braginski would inflict his wrath.

Toris shuddered, just thinking about the huge man who had taken over the throne. It made one wonder where the Prince was at a time like this, along with his parents.

"Are you okay, Brother?" he heard a quiet voice ask, and he looked down to see Raivis, a fellow servant, staring up at him. "Y- you were shivering." he stuttered in means of explanation.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you." he answered, smiling slightly and uncertainly at the boy calling him 'Brother'. They weren't related in the slightest, but he knew they were both only children, along with their friend Eduard von Bock, and they were closer than most of the servants at the castle. Raivis nodded in acceptance and turned his focus back to the bucket full of weeds he was hauling. Toris watched in pity for a second, then ran to help him, hefting the sheers onto one shoulder.

"N- no, you don't have to-" Raivis started, but couldn't finish, startled by the sight in front of him.

The limp body of the court jester, his white hair covered in blood and a hand rigid over his own heart. Raivis whimpered and ducked behind Toris just as Eduard came up the path, carrying pots of flowers.

"Toris? Raivis? What's the- oh." His question stopped as soon as he saw the unmoving body in front of them. He set the flowers down and checked the man's pulse, sighing heavily after finding none. "I'm afraid he's passed on."

Tears pricked at Raivis's eyes, and he had barely known the albino in front of them. "Who could have done this?" he asked quietly, shaking behind Toris and Eduard.

"Why do you say 'who'? It could be that he died because of a fault of his own."

Eduard shook his head at Toris's foolishness and held up a dagger that had been hidden on the other side of the body. "This is why he said 'who'. Because a dagger doesn't suddenly fly from nowhere and stab you."

* * *

"We need to get Peter." Paulette insisted, glaring at the tanned man in front of her. Who was this guy? Was he related to Marcello or something?

"Who's Peter?" The other guy asked, the one who looked like Marcello, but had angry green eyes.

"Oh, you mean the boy who was jailed for espionage? Blonde kid?" the tanned one asked.

"Sure." Paulette answered. She didn't have a clue what Peter looked like! Only what his voice sounded like, that was all!

Marcello butted in. "He was in the other cell beside yours, right, love?"

"Don't call me that. But yes, he was."

The tanned guy nodded energetically. "Okay, got it! Should we get Francis? This sounds like a complicated job!"

Angry-Marcello guy shook his head emphatically. "No! No, we do not get Francis."

Paulette scowled. "Who's Francis? And who are you?"

Tanned guy turned to her, a slightly confused look on his face, but instantly brightened as he smiled. "I'm Antonio! Just call me Toni, si?"

Paulette nodded, not sure what 'si' meant.

"And this is Lovi!"

"Don't call me that. My name's Lovino." Angry-Marcello guy said, glaring at Toni. Antonio just smiled even wider and hugged the other, causing a blush to form. Paulette seemed to be the only one who caught it. She smirked. That was so wrong, but so cute at the same time. And, she now had a comrade in the unwanted nicknames club!

"Anyway, Peter!" she cried, jumping up from the floor and startling the couple and Marcello, the annoying flirt. The four walked down to the entrance of the dungeons as quickly as they could, then stood there awkwardly, thinking of something to do and how to rescue the poor young Peter, still stuck and most likely wondering where his friend had gone and if she was alright.

* * *

"I wonder if Arthur's rescued the boy yet." Matthew mused, looking morosely at the floor. He was tired of being cooped up in such a small place hour after hour, day after day. Most citizens of his kingdoms didn't even know who he was, but social interaction with someone besides his brother would have been a welcome miracle.

"Probably." Alfred mumbled, in response to Matthew's earlier question. "And he probably took him to dinner as well." he added, glaring at the table his elbows rested on as if it had committed a personal offense and deserved to be hung.

"Alfred, what did that table ever do to you?" the violet-eyed prince asked, sitting up straight and looking at his brother in concern. What had come over him? The past few days had all been one huge depress-fest, in honor of Alfred, who wouldn't stop frowning and pouting over one thing or another.

"Everything." came the dry reply, and Matthew sighed, rubbing his forehead with his palm. He was so sick of his twin being so… so… insufferable!

"Well, while you and the table are discussing its crime and punishment, I'll be outside. Maybe even in Town. Au revoir."

"Wait, Mattie! We have to stay here, or else-"

"Or else what? Nobody even knows I exist, never mind that I'm one of the princes! I can walk outside every once in a while."

He walked out the door, letting out a long breath of frustration. He wasn't usually so on end, but the past week had him fed up. Arthur hadn't come back since two days ago, and Alfred had been so down in the dumps… not to mention that the weather had decided to turn hot and humid. It was torture in that tiny cabin he had called home for the whole of Braginski's reign, a rule he wanted to end as soon as possible. Hopefully, he would be part of the reason it ended. He stepped to the path leading out of the woods, hopping over the occasional stone or fallen branch. Following the trail, he made it to the edge of the forest. Should he? He did look a lot like his brother… even Arthur had mistook them the first few times he had seen them, and Arthur was the closest (and probably only) friend the two shared.

Deciding to, just this once, he looked around and smiled, walking past the line of trees and toward the nearby town, the city lining the castle gates.

* * *

Arthur turned to Lukas and motioned for a lift to the window, the one looking into what he had calculated as Peter's cell. Lukas hefted u him up, and Arthur was surprised his strength, considering how small in stature he was. Matthias came forward to help, but Lukas motioned him back, shaking his head. The taller man nodded and smiled encouragingly, producing a quiet snort of disbelief from the other. Most likely because Lukas believed he didn't need encouragement.

Arthur peered into the barred window and spotted the young boy, huddled in a corner and leaning against the wall, singing something to himself. He smiled, recognizing the tune, but not sure where he had heard it before. He placed a hand on a bar and shook it, causing it to rattle in its foundation. Peter glanced up, and his blue eyes widened at the sight of Arthur. He ran up to the window and tried to jump up to the opening.

"Are you here to help me?" he asked, a quiver of hope in his voice. "You're Mama's old friend, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes, I've come to help you. Just hang on, and I'll be there soon." he tried to smile reassuringly, but he wasn't sure of the complete effect.

Lukas lowered him as soon as he sensed that the two were done talking. The three hid in the shadows of the wall once again, slinking towards the front, hoping they would continue to go unspotted.

Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps sounded behind them. Arthur whipped around, and his eyebrows furrowed in surprise.

"Wha-"

**A/N: Hey guys! This chapter is kind of all over the place, but then again, they usually are. I hope you enjoy it! And sorry about dear Gilbert's death, it had to happen. So actually, I'm not really sorry. Heh. But anyway, thanks for reading, and review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Matthew walked across the dirt road that led into the city, smiling at a passing mule driver who tipped his hat as he passed. The bustling town was a welcome balm to the endless quiet Matthew had endured these past few days, what with the sound of everyone talking and carts rumbling past, the children who still remained running around playing tag and whatnot, squealing when someone was caught. Matthew let the noise soak in, his smile growing wider by the minute.

Even with Braginski's rule, the town was still going on and lively. It gave the young prince a sliver of hope. He looked up and enjoyed the afternoon sun on his face, noticing that there wasn't a single gray cloud, despite the recent rain. He could only shrug and continue on, saying hello to the occasional citizen. They were all so friendly, even with the mistrust toward the throne. It had been so different in the palace, everyone overly conscious about rank and such, so stiff and formal, so cold. It had gotten even colder after Braginski came, and utterly destroyed any warmth that could have possibly once resided there, in the form of the twins' mother. That had been a dark day.

Matthew had come to the very outskirts of the town, and there was barely anyone there, only a few who worked with the servants or delivered goods here. They all stared at Matthew strangely. He did look quite out of place, with his nice overcoat in contrast to their threadbare woolen shirts. He wished he had thought to change before he left.

He skirted around the gates and came to the locked entrance to the gardens. Thankfully, or maybe not, growing up in the castle had given him access to several little passages and entrances no one else besides Alfred knew about. He looked out across the stone wall surrounding the gardens and spotted the chink in the wall that he knew was right above a hole covered from sight by climbing ivy.

He hurried over and looked around to see if anyone was watching. Reassured, he brushed aside the growing vines and saw the hole. Squeezing through, he was in the gardens, and now he didn't know what to do. Why had he even come here? What had been the point? What if he was caught? Even if nobody else did, Braginski knew that he was one of the princes!

Matthew sighed and rubbed his forehead. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea…

Just then, he looked up and saw a floating apparition. Well, it had feet, but they were almost transparent, so gave the illusion of floating.

Matthew watched it for a minute, before it turned and he could see it had a human face. What the heck was it? He walked up, thinking that maybe it needed some help.

"Um, excuse me?"

The thing turned, and Matthew saw that it looked completely human, even if he was transparent.

"Vhat… you can see me?"

Woah, that was usually the other's line! He felt an odd sense of deja vu, hearing it come from someone else's mouth.

"Yeah. Were you aware that you are completely see-through?"

* * *

Wang Yao sighed as another day of serving the new Master caught up to him. It weighed heavy on his shoulders, adding more droop than usual. He wished he could go home to his kids, whose mother had died a year before. They had become independent, but they still needed a father, and Yao wished he be one. Unfortunately, Braginski made all servants live on the castle grounds.

Speaking of Braginski, which everyone was, he needed to submit the midday report. He hated the midday report, since it interrupted duties that he wanted to get done as soon as possible. He climbed wearily up the stone stairs and walked down the corridor, staring at the parchment he held in front of him, containing the names of the servants and their status. A few notes were written beside a couple of the names, but thankfully, they were affordable to let go. Like that Elizaveta woman. She had been a hard worker, and Yao was disappointed to see her go, but she was a little too violent in the kitchen. she had no family that he knew of, so didn't have anyone she really needed to support besides herself.

He realized that he had arrived at the entrance to Master Braginski's office. He swallowed and knocked, squaring his shoulders and trying his hardest to look impassive. He didn't know why he was so scared by the man, but something about the aura around him gave him the chills, not to mention that smile… that demonic smile that scared the whole of Yao's staff. He had heard rumors about what Braginski had done in his own hometown, and was terrified of what he could do on the throne.

A footman opened the door and bowed Yao into the room. Braginski was sitting forward in his seat smiling pleasantly. "Hello Yao, what brings you here?"

_What always brings me here around now. _"Midday report, Sir." he answered respectfully, lowering his eyes to his parchment so he didn't have to meet the other's purple gaze.

"Go on, da."

"Well, we've let a few servants go… Elizaveta Héderváry, Vash Zwingli, and Sadik Adnan… Other servants' performance is satisfying. We had a mishap in the dungeons today, but that has been taken care of."

Braginski nodded, still smiling. "Thank you, Yao. You may go."

Yao nodded and gave a perfunctory bow, before turning to hurry out of the room. Who had given Braginski first-name privileges anyway? Yao this, Yao that…

"Oh, and Yao?"

"Yes, Sir?" he almost sighed, but held it back.

"Please don't be scared of me."

Yao closed the door behind him, wondering about that parting remark. Had he read his mind? No, that was impossible…

He hoped.

* * *

Arthur stared at the sight before him. Two older children, a castle servant (assuming from his poor clothing), and…

"Antonio? What are you doing here?" What could his old acquaintance possibly find interesting at the castle? And who were those kids?

"I'm here to save a little boy!" he announced, dropping all caution. His three companions shushed him quickly, the servant glaring at him. "Right, sorry!" he smiled.

"Do you mean Peter? Small blonde?"

"Yeah, you seen him?" the little girl asked, a challenge in her eyes. Arthur bit back an amused grin.

"Yes, but you're not going to have any access to him going that direction."

"Can't we go through the window?" the young boy asked snaking an arm around the girl, who slapped it away.

"No, it's far too small, even for the girl. Sorry. But I'm going to get him out, so you can go home." Arthur replied, looking back at Lukas and Matthias, who were quizzically assessing the conversation and the group of misfits in front of them.

"No way! We're helping Peter!" the girl answered, puffing out her cheeks.

"Arthur, let us help!" Antonio pleaded, clasping his hands in front of him and receiving another glare from the servant. The old soldier winced, thinking about Antonio's clumsiness, and sighed. He knew far too well that the man wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Fine," he relented, "But stay quiet and right behind those two." He motioned to the blondes behind him and continued his journey, slinking through shadows and moonlight.


	8. Chapter 8

Emil looked up at the stars and sighed, biting his lip, his fingers clutching at the grass. He wished he had his brother's hand to hold instead of the dying plants, but his brother worked at the castle now, and would probably never be able to come home.

Violet eyes searched the skies for reassurance, any at all, but all it held was the small pinpoints of light that surrounded the mysterious darkening moon. Emil hated the moon. He always thought it was sucking out all the light from the earth and taking it for itself. How else could a thing of the night be so bright?

Footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned in alarm, half-standing and ready to run, but it just turned out to be an old friend of his. The man's dark brown eyes smiled at him, even if his mouth did not. The stubble on his chin had grown, but it didn't seem to bother him.

"Hello, Sadik. Don't you work at the castle now? What are you doing here?"

"I was fired." the man said calmly, chuckling a bit. Why was he laughing? That had been his only job, his support. It was where big brother was now. How could he be laughing? Emil frowned and looked away, staring once more at the darkness, his hand trying to grip the ground even tighter. He suddenly felt a hand close over his, and he looked up in surprise and slight annoyance. What was he doing?

"You looked stressed." Sadik explained, grinning. "I thought you could use some comfort." The hand beneath the tanned man's relaxed, and the smaller male nodded, even if it was just a tiny bit.

"Thank you, Pops"

"No problem." Sadik smiled, enjoying the nickname, even it was just a replacement for the boy's 'Big Brother'.

* * *

"Antonio, could you please stop stomping?"

"I'm not stomping!"

"Yes, you are, now please stop. We're going to get caught because of you- actually, I'm surprised we haven't been yet."

"C'mon, Arthur, I'm being totally quiet!"

"No, you bloody well know you are not-"

"Shut up, you two!"

The new voice startled the two, and they turned to see Paulette glaring at them. Antonio smiled and apologized, while Arthur made a humphing sound and looked back to the front. They had reached the entrance to the garden, and Arthur knew that there was a secret doorway somewhere close that led into the dungeons. It was a small passageway, so with any luck, he'd be able to leave Antonio behind.

But apparently luck didn't want to have anything to do with him.

He asked Lukas and Matthias to stand guard while he uncovered the door, and he opened it as quietly as the old, squeaking hinges would allow. Peering down into the darkness, he could see the top of the stairs, and he lowered himself, gesturing to the others to stay put.

But did they listen? No, of course not.

Antonio clambered in behind Arthur, followed by the servant, then the two kids, the boy making sure that the girl got in all right before he descended. With the amount of noise they were making, Arthur counted his blessings and decided that if they got out of this uncaught, he would stop calling Alfred a bloody git.

The door closed behind them, and they continued down the passageway, the four extras finally calming down and quieting. After an hour or so of walking, they came to the old wooden door that opened into the dungeon chambers. Arthur glanced at the smiling man behind him, then the younger ones, wondering what he should do.

Should he let them come? Should he leave them here? Tie them up, so they had no choice?

The last one sounded surprisingly appealing.

* * *

"You needed me, Big Brother?" the girl asked, standing straight and stiff in front of the current dictator of the kingdom.

"Hello, Natalya. I have a job for you."

"Anything for you, Big Brother." she replied swiftly, staring at the man in front of her. The man shivered involuntarily.

"I need you to kill three people. They have been released from service, and need to be silenced before they can tell anyone that I'm in power, da?"

"Yes, of course." Natalya grinned and nodded, her long platinum blonde hair swept back and showing her excited features. "Anything for you." she repeated, and with that, she left, already planning the deaths of the innocents. She would receive the list later, from Master Wang, she suspected.

Ivan Braginski, meanwhile, shivered again as she left, scared of his little sister.

* * *

Francis walked through the market, looking for something, but nothing specific. The vendors called to him, but of they didn't have anything that Antonio might like, he ignored them completely.

He then heard the call of 'Tomatoes! Fresh tomatoes!' Turning toward the voice, he walked up to the seller and asked about the price.

"Ah, you want tomatoes? I will give them to you for 12 a pound, my friend!"

"Only a pound? That's far too much."

"No, no, you will not find a better price!"

The heckling went on, while on the other side of the city stood a different blonde, also conversing with an annoying older man.

"Zhe Awesome Me is see-through because it is all zhe rage down at zhe tavern! Kesesese."

Matthew rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. So… are you dead?"

A frown appeared on the translucent face, a crease between the faint red eyes. "I vould suppose so. I mean, ja, I was stabbed and voke up vithout a substantial body."

The young prince could see that this was a raw subject, but he pushed on anyway. He wanted to keep talking to someone, even if they were a ghost. "Who stabbed you?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I know it vas female, and zhat she vas insanely strong. Kind of disappointing zhat Zhe Awesome Me died so easily."

Matthew dropped the subject after that, noticing the hurt expression on the other's face. He started to walk to his exit, and it was a few seconds before he realized that the dead man was following him. "Yes?" he asked, turning, smiling.

"Nozhing."

He shrugged and continued, burrowing under the barricade and stepping cautiously forward, looking around for any guards. Seeing that there were none, he rushed back to the safe part of town, blending in once he reached the market. And the ghost was still following him. "Excuse me, sorry if I'm being rude, but you keep following me. Can I at least ask your name?"

He looked startled at first, but instantly answered. "Kesesese, I am Gilbert Beilschmidt! My name is totally awesome, right?"

Matthew nodded. He felt like the introduction needed a reply. "I'm Matthew. Just… Matthew." His last name might reveal that he was one of the princes.

Suddenly, he bumped into someone, distracted because of Gilbert talking to him endlessly. "Maple!" he exclaimed quietly, bending down to help gather the dropped tomatoes and a roll of light red cloth. Looking up, he caught the blue eyes of a taller man smiling at him. "I'm so sorry!"

"Non, do not apologize, it was my fault! I was not paying attention to where I was going."

"Neither was I. Again, sorry."

The other just smiled in acceptance and took his items from Matthew's arms. "Thank you." he looked up to continue on his way, but gasped.

"G- Gilbert?"

"Francis? Kesesese, hey!"

Francis blinked quickly, trying to discern if the image in front of him was really his old drinking buddy. "Why are you… transparent?"

"He's dead." Matthew answered, sparing the albino. Francis looked like he was about to explode from confusion.

"Does Antonio know?" he finally said, rubbing a hand across his temples. He would be devastated at the death of one of his best friends.

"Nein, not yet. I vill leave zhe telling to you, ja? Zhanks!" With those parting words, he floated away, leaving Matthew behind. He quickly bobbed to the other in the way of a bow and followed Gilbert, hurrying to get home.

**A/N: Man, it's been a long time since I updated this! Sorry about that! Anyway, this was a rushed chapter, so sorry if it sucks. Like, epically. Please review and all that jazz, thank you!**


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